Keeping It Real

I missed posting on Friday because what a week! I really lost track of the days with all we had going on. 

This week's word is REAL

I started this blog in order to be real about what it’s like to be a missionary. Zambia’s tourism motto is: Zambia—the Real Africa. Perhaps by extension that makes us the Real Missionaries. Ha ha

My intention though is to help people to understand that missionaries are real people—not superhumans, not metahumans (little geek humor) and certainly not saints. We struggle with the same issues: fear, loneliness, anger, etc.

I get scared by the things around us. I’ve lost my temper when faced with culture clashes. I’ve wept long and hard for losses here and far away. I’m not always content. (Once I saw pictures of family members on a beautiful vacation and I cried to my husband that it wasn’t fair! He reminded me that our reward is in Heaven. “But,” I wailed, “they get to go to Heaven too!”) Real. Not necessarily right. But honest.

However as I strive to show an authentic face to you about life as a missionary, I am also striving to become more like the most real human being to ever walk this earth. My goal is to become more like Him!

The Other Side of Christmas Week--part two

For part one of this story, click here.

After the nurse carried Gladys away, I sat back on the bed stunned. I picked up my phone and sent a Blackberry chat message to Debbie. She cried with me and I was so grateful again for God sending her to me at just the right moment.

Then, I had to call Meg. Gladys was more her baby than mine. She didn't answer her phone--later she told me that she saw that the call was coming from me and didn't want to here the words--so I left a voice message and felt sick to my stomach after.

I wondered how the other ladies in the ward were viewing me. In the space of 3 hours, two moms had lost babies but the reactions were very different. I had very little outward show of grief. I shed tears but they were quiet and mostly unseen. The other mother had cried aloud and at length. I voiced this question to Debbie and she reminded me that "we do not grieve as those who have no hope". Very true.

Zambians are also very social people. Part of the outward grieving is to let their family and friends know that they are sad and in need of special comfort. The entire village will gather at the sound of the wailing and wail also to show camaraderie and community.

I wanted to hold out hope for Joseph, but as I looked at him, lying so very still on the stark hospital bed, I wasn't sure. We still didn't know what was attacking his body. He had shown some improvement after some fluids via IV, but once the drip stopped he looked wan and weak again. 

Despite a negative malaria test, the decision was made to start him on quinine injections. Quinine is sa lifesaving, but extremely harsh drug. It can have terrible side effects--one of which is deafness--and is usually reserved for emergency cases. I hated that we had to give that to tiny Joseph, but there was nothing I could do.

He was also started on a second, more powerful antibiotic. His little body was being bombarded and I just hoped that we would see improvement soon.

Later that morning we were moved to a private room. I was so thankful! The room was tiny, but the bed had linens on it, there was a sink in the corner--no running water, but I could bring water in and do dishes--and a couch which turned out to be useless since it had no seat to it. That was OK. Remember my packing list from yesterday's post? One of the things I packed was a folding camp chair. Lifesaver!

I have to say here how grateful I was (and am) for our friends. The hospital was an hour away from home, so impractical for Tom to come back once he'd dropped us off. But, our good friends, Sanjay and Jackie stay there in that town. Three times a day they brought meals. I was so grateful! There was really nowhere else to get food. Jackie was a star--not only bringing a sandwich, but bringing full cooked meals. She even remember napkins and everything! It made such a difference to have that break in my day when meals and some conversation walked through my door.

Meanwhile, Joseph was still quite sick. He was so uncomfortable and seemed to be in pain, but didn't want to be held much or touched. He just lay on his back tossing his head back and forth and whimpering softly. He had no energy to drink so every two hours I had to coax him to take some milk from the bottle and then slowly pour more into his mouth bit by bit. 

There would be times when his eyes would roll around and I couldn’t tell if he was just tired or was dropping into something worse. My nerves were totally shot after caring for Gladys and how that had ended. I searched Joseph’s face endlessly hoping to see a spark of improvement.

The hospital still hadn’t taken any blood to test. The stool sample I’d given them had been corrupted. So, after 3 days, we still had no idea what was wrong.

Then, miraculously, Joseph began to show interest in his food again. He still couldn’t drink much at a time, but he wanted to—and that means all the difference in the world. He also tolerated me holding him again. I was able to pour all my love into him with cuddles and kisses. He even gave me half a smile. Nectar for my soul!

After a third night on an IV drip, he was finally rehydrated. With regular feedings I was able to maintain his fluid levels. It was Christmas Eve and I was hopeful we could go home. With careful instructions on his medications still needed (they could all be given orally) I was confident I could finish is convalescence at home. I just wanted to be at home with my family!

Thankfully, the doctor agreed. I bundled Joseph up, gathered our many survival possessions and his all important medicines and climbed into a taxi for the hour long ride home. As a special gift from God, my taxi driver was playing Christmas music and I sang along and felt a bit of Christmas spirit entering my soul.

Coming home after time away and jumping back into a household is always a challenge. When you’re doing it on the eve of arguably the biggest holiday of the year, when you are completely sleep deprived, well, let’s just say it is a recipe for disaster.

My family had done a wonderful job in my absence, baking some of my favorite cookies and wrapping all the presents for the little kids.

Later that night, as we cleared up from dinner, Jasmine asked me why someone had put away all the cookies but left about six still on the tray. I thought that was weird too, and then it dawned on me—Buzz had struck again! That naughty, rascally dog had eaten a few dozen cookies right off the tray. No more cookies for Christmas Day! Unfortunately, that was the proverbial last straw for me. I began to weep. All the pressure and struggle of an entire week culminated in that moment. We had to have the special Christmas cookies! Or Christmas would be ruined! 

Tom very wisely bundled me off to bed with the sage advice that it would all be better in the morning. And, do you know? He was right. I got up every couple hours to feed Joseph (he was now crying for his food. Hallelujah!) but was still able to wake up early. I stuffed stockings, set out a special breakfast, and wrapped the few presents our family would receive, just in time for my big kids and hubby to wake up. Then, we were able to do our Children's Christmas Party. 

Day by day, Joseph improved. His trademark grins returned. One day he even giggled! He giggled! He was on his way back! Aside from his half shaved head (we really ought to do the other and create a baby Mr. T), you can't even tell he was sick. 

Thank you all for the encouraging comments you've been leaving me. I really appreciate your encouragement. Having a cyber community means the world to me!

Pure, Undadulterated Joy

After the day I had yesterday, and the week I had last week (don't even ask....),  I need to take a moment to reflect on the reason God has us here in this community and look at some of the simple joys in life.

In August we had a team from Texas come out to do a bunch of different projects over one week. The men helped Tom with various building and construction projects. The two women who came with the team held a Vacation Bible School program for 3 days. 

Each day two groups of 50 children between the ages of 8 and 12 years old would come to hear Bible stories, sing songs, play games and do crafts. In the middle of each session we planned to have the kids play in the playground.

The first day the kids were escorted to the playground they stood in a line just staring at the playground. They were somewhat familiar with the trampoline, but had no idea what to do with the rest of it. Schools here don't usually have playgrounds for the school children. 

I had to lead the kids around to each of the playthings and show them how to play. I took two of the kids over to the see-saw and as soon as the girl lifted up into the air she flipped right off. She'd never been on one before and didn't know she was supposed to hold on.

Finally, I led a couple of the girls to the playhouse which has a simple slide, made from 3 barrels, coming off of it. I encouraged them to sit down and slide through it. The absolute surprise and delight on the first girls face made my day. 

She looked up and politely asked if she could go again. After I told her yes, she gave me a huge grin, dashed off and climbed up the ladder to get ready to slide again. 

The slide became one of the favorite parts of the playground.

How many kids do you know who can find such joy in simple, playground equipment. Sure makes one count one's blessings, doesn't it?

I wish....

Last month two of our nannies gave notice. 

One is expecting a baby in November and one is hoping to go to nursing school. Obviously I will wish them well in their ventures....eventually. Right now, I'm just sad. I've invested hours in training these young women who came to us with very little education and no work experience. 

One of them hasn't even finished (or even started) high school but we took her on anyway and she has grown by leaps and bounds. But now she's leaving. And sadly, she's not even leaving to further her education....she is going to have a baby--her second. She's not married, although she claims she will be joining her boyfriend in another city. I wish she had made better choices or had better options in her life.

The other girl is planning to go to nursing school. I wish I had more hope for her future but in her high school classes she failed ALL her subjects. She claims she will study hard between now and October to pass the subjects in a new session of exams. At the moment I don't hold out much hope. I wish her the best and pray that she studies hard. Zambia does need nurses, but not ones who've bribed their way through already sub-standard courses.

I've been interviewing new candidates for nanny positions, but I wish I didn't have to. I wish we could find people who would partner with us and keep the kids' needs first in their hearts. I wish they would be here for the kids and not for the money--'cause Lord knows it's not a job for making money--ask me how I know...

All the kids we have here have already lost their families. We are trying to create a new family for them. But their 'aunties' keep leaving. I wish the kids didn't have to say goodbye so often.

Aside from the fact that I hate that the kids' hearts will be a little more sad and broken, there is the quality of care to take into account. Kids are just not cared for with the same standard that you and I would expect. This means that I have to do a lot of hands on training to get the ladies who come here to the place they need to be. This takes hours and hours of my time--time I really don't have. I wish I could invest my time more wisely--perhaps into holding and loving on the kids we have in our care.

Now I'm faced with training 3 new ladies in the next month or so. Yes, three! That's because in just the last few minutes yet another lady gave her notice. Only, she gave us a three day notice. Three days!! to find and train a replacement. We have one year contracts for formality's sake and they are all coming due this month which is why this particular lady felt she could skip the 30-day-notice clause. I understand that, but I wish she had practiced some common decency?

These are the children of Africa. The children of Zambia. Why is it then that mainly Americans and Europeans are giving of their money, time and effort to provide a new home for these children? Why don't I see the same commitment of spirit from most of these young women? These children are not just children of Zambia, they are actually even distantly related to some of these women. Where is the love?

Is my frustration leaking out onto your keyboard? I do apologize. I'm tired. Tired because I've been up nearly every night for the last few weeks with a tiny newborn. Tired because I'm carrying a heavy burden. Tired because I'm trying to carry it alone rather than give it over to the One who can carry it all.  

Would you pray for me today? Pray that I can trust in Him to be a Father to the fatherless.  To comfort all of our hearts. To make the transition time easy and painless. To bring in workers and caregivers who are committed to lovingly raising these kids God's Way. Thank you.

P.S He is already answering that prayer in one small way. Meg is coming back! Next summer, if God wills, and then (again God willing) permanently the following year. Please keep her in your prayers as well.

There are other volunteers who are already expressing interest in spending their summer with us. I'm grateful. Really, I am.

P.P.S Have a read through these posts of yester years and come back to remind me why I'm here. 

Exactly Two Years Ago (Yesterday): Adventures in Baby Care

Exactly Two Years Ago: Our Kids--Volume One--Jennifer

Where Does Hope Lie?

Yesterday I got a text late at night telling me that there were riots happening in the town where we shop.

Apparently there were rumors that children were being killed for witchcraft rituals. In typical mob-logic fashion, the thinking went from 'children are being killed' to 'people with money have to be behind this' to 'kill anyone with money'

Businesses were looted and then burned to the ground. Several houses were also burned and sadly, at least 3 lives were lost in those fires. Other people were attacked and killed as well. Roads leading in and out of Mansa were blocked off.

It is so sad when ignorance and hysteria collide, creating such a volatile situation. The police state that no ritual killings have been reported to them so it's possible that this whole riot was much ado about nothing. And yet, when the dust has cleared, lives have been lost, livelihoods ruined and peace shattered.

Zambia has been mostly peaceful over the years and I haven't really had to worry. With the entire world erupting in violence, things seem to be changing. I'm not worried really, because I know I'm sheltered in the protection of the Most High. But, that doesn't mean I'm foolish. I'm staying in touch with people who are in-the-know to see what's going on. I will only travel down for shopping when I know for sure that things are safe.


 **********

Two days ago, one of our most diligent nannies, Majory, lost her seven year old child to malaria.  He didn't respond to treatment the first time, and after being switched to a stronger medicine had adverse reactions to the medications. His liver basically failed due to the effects of the malaria and the medicines needed to treat it.


Majory has worked for us for about 3 years, although she took a year off when she gave birth to twins 2 years ago. Sadly, one of those twins didn't make it to two weeks old. This was when I learned for the first time that the birth mortality rate for twins is so high that mothers don't even name their babies until they're certain they are going to make it. So Majory's little baby boy who died shortly after birth can't even be remembered by name. That thought makes me so sad.
And now, Majory has lost another little boy. It's hard to be surrounded by so much sadness.




 The only way to keep going is to know for certain that my hope lies in Christ! He is the only true and reliable thing in my world. I have nearly lost my children to illness, I have buried other babies, I have seen lives ruined by rumors and witchcraft, I have been frustrated by the lack of apparent progress in some of our ministries. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that there is a future, and a bright one at that, just on the other side of my horizon. I have to hold on and He will carry me there.
 

God Has a Funny Sense of Humor

So, it was last Thursday or Friday when I had a visit from the electric company and they informed me that they would be doing work on the only  line running into our area of the province and therefore, power would be shut off every day from 8a.m to 6 p.m for about 20 days.

I resisted the urge to panic, made a plan, changed my schedule around in preparation, and wrote a blog post about it.

Monday dawned bright and early and since I hadn't yet switched to working nights, I got up early to get as much work done on the computer as I could before the power was cut. 

Eight o'clock came and yet the power remained on. Figuring this is nothing new in a region that operates on 'Africa-time' I kept right on working. When the power finally got shut off, I was going to be ready.

The morning hours ticked away; the afternoon passed without a hitch, and so did the evening.

Here we are four days later and not only have we had electricity every day, we have not even lost it at the 'usual' evening hours for what America calls brown-outs, Zambians call load-shedding, and we call foul.

So, either God has a wicked sense of humor (I know! not possible! at least the wicked part), or He wanted to test me to see how I'd do with a little pressure. 

Or, it could just be Murphy striking again. If we hadn't been warned about the power outage and made all those preparations, the power would probably have gone off. With us being all ready and armed with a plan, it just wasn't fun for Murphy anymore.

In reality, it probably is just a case of TIA* again. Most likely they ran out of gas money, or someone had to attend a funeral, or they misplaced the paperwork.

Either way, I'm a happy, happy girl. And, I'm keeping those plans I made ready and waiting.

*This Is Africa

Exactly One Year Ago: Hair

Look On the Bright Side of Life

  Let's start off today's post with a song:

 

♫ Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse. ♪
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...♫

♫ And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life... ♪

♫ If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing. ♪
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing. ♫

 All together now:

♫ And...always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the light side of life.. ♫

 

That was Monty Python, everyone!

 

So today, the gristle that I'm finding it hard to whistle around is that it's gonna be hard to look on the bright and light side of life when we have no lights.

 

Yes, folks, we were just told, that for the next 20 or so days we going to have no electricity all day long. Praise our Heavenly Father, we will have power at night (or so they've told me) so all is not lost. But it is definitely going to be challenging this month.

 

My plan for this time period is going to be work on non-electric stuff from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. I'll work with the kids, organize the office and filing system, supervise my kids in their homeschooling, cook, etc. 

Then I'll work on electronic stuff from 6 p.m to 2 a.m: office work, correspondence, computer and internet stuff, laundry, pumping water, etc. 

Sleep will be from 2 a.m to 10 a.m. 

Of course meals, exercise and recreation will figure in there somewhere.

Things to be thankful for:

We do have a battery/inverter system and a generator if we really need them.

Our cooking is done on a gas stove so our meals won't be affected.

 

I'm thinking that doing my work at night with no distractions will enable to me to get more done. I might even begin writing that book I'm always threatening I'll do.

 

Working in the night will put me in sync with U.S times. This means I'll be able to communicate with people more and even connect more socially. 

 

On that note: My twitter ID is @amyinafrica, my Skype ID is amy.morrow, and my facebook page link is: Amy's Adventures. I'm gonna take advantage of my nighttime computer hours to invest more time in my facebook page. So, come on by, like me (you know you want to) and let's chat.

Challenges:

When the power goes off during the day, it is easy to slip into hibernation mode. It's kinda like a snow day for us. Everything gets really quiet with no electronic white (or other) noise. When one's schedule is disrupted it can be tempting to just curl up on a sofa and read a book rather than deal with the restructuring.

We can't have 20 'snow days' in a row so we're gonna have to push through and stay on track.

How you can pray:

• pray the power will come on in the evenings as promised, and that when it does that it will stay on the entire time.
• pray that the electricity we are supplied with has enough power to do the job. We frequently only receive 75% of the volts we should get which means things like washing machines and water pumps don't work. With only getting electricity half the day as it is, we're gonna need those hours to count.
• pray for our fridges & freezers to keep their cool so our food doesn't spoil. We'll be making blocks of ice at night to place in the fridge during the day.

So, that's my challenge this week. What's your week shaping up like?

 Exactly One Year Ago: Easter Photos

 

 

 

My Day

I thought it might be fun to take you through one of my days. This was Tuesday, March 29. I jotted down my day's events as I went along. 


If you'd like to visualize where all of this is going on you can open this link where I give you a tour of our property in a separate tab.


6:15 My alarm goes off. I know I can hit the snooze button twice before finally turning it off.

6:25 I throw my robe on and remember to carry a towel with me to place in our volunteer room. Rikke, from Denmark, will be joining us today for two weeks.
I unlock our main door and let in four staff members. Our farmer brought in 2 watermelons for sale. Both watermelons cost me $1.

6:30 I check on the kids in the nursery and make sure the nannies know their instructions. This was Joshua's first night so I check to see how he did.

6:45 Our internet connection is much better in the morning so I jump right in to taking care of paypal, gmail and other internet related issues.

7:20 I hear the doorbell. It's our new volunteer. I had been expecting a guy because of the name, but surprise! It's a girl. She's a student teacher. It's wonderful to have so many volunteers coming through to help with the kids.

7:30 My children wake up and slowly make their way from their bedrooms to the main house.

8:00 Breakfast of scrambled eggs and bread with that all-important cup of coffee.

8:20 I hold an informal informational meeting for Rikke. She's excited to jump right in despite being on the bus all night.

9:00 Rikke and I tour the property and I pass on instructions to staff members along the way.

9:45 The kindergarteners and their nanny are doing a deep clean on their room--I give them tips for getting it done really well.

10:00 Joshua's relatives came to sign the guardianship papers.
His uncle asked an interesting question. He wanted to know what we would do with a child that was unable to learn. I told him first of all that I didn't believe such a thing existed, but that if a child didn't have a natural bent for academics they would still be guaranteed a good education and the chance to learn a skill for creating a livelihood.
Two of the relatives couldn't write so we provided a ink pad so they could 'sign' the forms with their thumb prints.

10:30 I continued working on my office and computer tasks while also supervising Timmy, Jasmine and Troy in their school work.
I also gave the kitchen lady instructions for making the kids' lunch.

11:00 Tom had forgotten to pack something when he left the day before, so I packed a box quickly and sent it down with our handyman to put on the bus.

11:30 More computer work. I also helped Timmy as he studied for his GED.

12:00 Around this time I realized I was parched so I grabbed my water bottle and took that opportunity to take all my vitamins and some pain medicine.

12:30 Lunch of lentil curry and rice.

1:00  Watched my recorded episode of Dancing with the Stars. Our TV provider is a few seasons behind the U.S but it's still fun to watch since I don't know who won.

2:00 I held our weekly staff meeting. We had to discuss the issue of our fired employee. Then to lighten things up I let them all play the Just Dance Wii game. They loved it. The next time we have a light-agenda meeting, we'll have a Just Dance tournament. I'll be sure to post pictures when we do.

3:00 Since losing our manager I needed to work on the employee time cards. The front door keys were lost so we looked for those, finally finding that someone had put them in their pocket after finding them in the wrong place.

3:40 Even more office work.

4:00 I interviewed a prospective nanny. She impressed me with her command of English and her quiet but attentive spirit. She has to give notice at her job, but will work in the afternoons and eventually become a live-in nanny.

4:30 Still more office work

5:30 Because I'd had such a busy day, I asked Troy to make dinner. I supervised him as he made tuna casserole. Meanwhile, I kept working in the office.

6:30 Dinner

7:00 TV time. We also have one or two of the little babies with us during this time to give them extra 'family' time. It helps them feel more secure and confident. This day we had Nicholas with us.

7:30 TV time was put on hold while I quickly bathed the kindergarteners. I shower them in an assembly line while their nanny helps them dry off, put on lotion and get dressed in pajamas.

8:00 Bedtime story for the oldest eight children. We also pray for the night together.

8:15 Some more TV watching and relaxing.

9:30 Into bed. A bit of light reading and I'm ready to drift off.

And yet, the night's not over. 12:00 AM I wake up and turn on our water pump since that is the only time the electricity is strong enough to get the water from our borehole (well) up to our tanks.

3:30 AM Get up and turn the pump back off.

And the next day it starts all over again. 

Sundays in My City--Village Church

Tom's student is really happy--they just get serious around cameras.

 Last Sunday Tom was invited to preach at the church of one of his Bible students. He has gone there three times before but I had never accompanied him so this time the church members insisted that I come as well.

The church was tiny and yet they managed to fit 150 people in there. The ladies that are walking up the aisle are actually dancing in as they sing Praise songs. 

The church was so full that children were gathered around the pulpit as well. They stared at me the entire service. 

There was a whole lotta shakin' goin' on!

After the women sang, the youth group stood up to sing. They filled the tiny floor space to capacity. Song time is accompanied by lively dancing. My seat was right next to the floor area and was quite low sitting which meant that I had an interesting vantage point for all the hip-shaking and grooving. I was never so thankful for my camera which allowed me to 'escape' to higher ground. I stood in the corner to take pictures.

The drummer was really feeling the music

Since it was Sunday morning and church day, most people had bathed so there wasn't the regular pungent smell of unwashed bodies that you might find on a bus or in a crowded shop, but that many people in a small room made for pretty stale air.

Tom has been slowly taking this congregation through the basics of the Bible. This past Sunday he was explaining what sin was. The last time he preached he found out that there is no Bemba word for sin. The only word they have is the same word for mistake. The trouble with this is that if one thinks that sin is the same as a simple mistake it really takes away the seriousness of intentional wrong doing. We have encountered this and so have been working to teach the difference between say, accidentally knocking your friends plate of food of the table or stealing food from their house. Mistakes can be taken care of with an apology but sins carry consequences.

The faces on these children will always make me happy!

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It's World AIDS Day.

Before moving to Africa HIV/AIDS was a disease I knew of academically but that was it. I'd never met anyone who suffered with this disease and aside from a few celebrities who had passed away from AIDS or who were living with HIV and the occasional article I would read, it was largely a 3rd world problem in my mind--a widow and orphan creating disease. 

Now that I've lived in Africa for nearly nine years I have come up close and personal to this pandemic. It is a brutal and devastating disease. It isn't even so much that it is a deadly disease with no cure but the psychological effect of HIV/AIDS is the worst part. 

There is still so much stigma attached to an HIV diagnosis. I think a big part of this is the prevention campaigns. As well-intentioned as they are, when all the posters say, "Stay Faithful and You'll be Safe", then the flip side is: If you're infected you were Unfaithful! This causes people to stay away from testing. They don't want their neighbors to perceive them as a philanderer.--Even if they are and everyone knows it, the HIV positive result means there is no room for doubt. 

In Africa, sadly, most HIV is passed through heterosexual relations. This means that if a woman tests positive her integrity is called into question even if she was the faithful one and her cheating husband is the one who infected her. As long as he is not tested she is the one everyone points fingers at. 

Getting people to the testing center for VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) is only the first step. After that, a person living in Africa with HIV has a long, hard road ahead of them. 

First they have to summon the courage to get on a program where they receive the medicine that they need. This can mean having to go to the clinic in full view of the village where everyone knows that those with HIV visit the clinic on a certain day.

Next, they have to be diligent to take their medicine at exactly the same time every day. In a culture where things go by the flow and time is fluid, this can be a real challenge. But, it is so incredibly important. Their life hangs in the balance.

Finally, they have to eat better and do more to stay healthy. The African diet in the villages is not well-rounded or extra nutritious. Those with HIV need more protein and vegetables in order to keep their immune systems up. African diets tend to be more starch-heavy because people focus on the energy foods--those with greater immediate benefits.

This is the reality of HIV/AIDS in Africa. It has come a long ,long way from when we first got here. People are going for testing now. Medicine is available. And the information is out there. When I met with my staff yesterday for our regular meeting, I took advantage of my captive audience and discussed HIV with them. And, amazingly, they all knew the right answers--to nearly every fact or question I threw out there. There were a couple things they got wrong but they were minor--they knew the important stuff. But, at least three or four of them are stubbornly refusing to get tested. I could tell that some of the others know their status but are not following the best treatment plan because of the difficulties in confidentiality in a village setting.

The crazy thing is that the fear of HIV permeates people's lives. They all know it exists, they have the information, the see the posters everywhere and they fear it. Those that haven't gone for testing worry constantly about possibly having it. So, even if they are not infected it affects their life. I feel like shouting from the rooftops: The truth will set you free! 

When we lose a sweet employee who dies because she refuses to damage her reputation and get tested for HIV or when we see another valued employee fail to get the necessary treatment 'because she doesn't want anyone to see her entering the clinic, or when a baby is denied the right to medicine because her parents are afraid to know their status it breaks our heart.

How can you help? Pray for those working in communities with high HIV rates. Pray that strong, Christian examples can come forward to show what living a positive (HIV infected) life looks like. When we can move HIV out of the shadows and into the light where it is just a disease that we have to prevent and treat and not a social stigma then we will finally make real progress in helping people stay healthy.

Exactly One Year Ago: No One Told Me  (get to know my teenagers)
 

Missionary Monday

Many people have asked for an update to the prayer request we wrote about a couple weeks ago. As it stands now, not much has changed but things are quiet. We did completely close down our boat project and removed the wood for the new house, the pier and the fencing. The only thing remaining there is the boat and we will be collecting that later this week. 

Tom has, understandably, been pretty depressed about the whole situation. He had poured his heart and soul into developing this tourist attraction and felt (we still do feel) that it would be good for the entire community.

We're hoping to start up the boat project in another place at some time.

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We hired a manager on a trial basis and one of his first responsibilities is helping us to reopen communication with the chief. We're hoping he can help to bridge the cultural divide we seem to be facing. Michael (our new manager) is also helping with much of the day to day coordinating with staff and visitors to free Tom and I up for other projects, admin work and our many responsibilities. Please pray that he works out and that we are able to increase our budget to cover his salary. 

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I wrote about the new baby we took in on Sunday. Sara is still struggling healthwise. The clinical officer here in the village believes she has developed pneumonia despite frequent applications of Baby Vicks, peppermint oil and taking Amoxycillin. We've now started her on daily injections of a much stronger antibiotic. Please pray that she recovers fully.

In the good news category: Sara gained 300 grams (10 ounces) this week!

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I'm so excited about the good response we're getting for our Every Child Needs Their Own Space Christmas project. We're looking forward to presenting the kids with their very own toy boxes so they feel like they are special and unique.

If you are interested in getting on board with this fun project, click the link and then go shopping. We recommend getting the packages in the mail by mid-November as it takes 4-6 weeks for packages to reach our little village.

My mother-in-law brought up a good point. Make sure your boxes weigh less than 4 pounds. It can be cheaper to send two lighter packages rather than one heavy one.

You can also send a donation designated for this project so we can buy the plastic toy boxes here. 

Thank you all for your help with all our projects. We couldn't look after these little ones without you.

Exactly one year ago: Book review of The Noticer

Tuesday's This and That

Sunday was Halloween and I was enjoying a day of rest and projects when we were informed that a family had brought a baby to our door. 

We found out that a young woman had died the day before, leaving behind a tiny baby. Thankfully, the family had not waited long before bringing the little girl to us so, aside from a cough, she is in relatively good health. She also had a fever but this was most likely due to being way over dressed. It was around 100 (F) at three in the afternoon and she was bundled up with a woolen hat and a huge, thick blanket.

The funny thing was that the relatives didn't know the baby's name so for two days she was Baby Girl. We tossed around the idea of naming her Grace or Ginny. Somehow she looks like a Grace to me.

Today, the family came back to sign the guardianship papers and they told us her name. Her name is Sara. It turns out her mom's name is Grace. So, there you go.

Please pray for Sara because while not so ill, she is incredibly tiny. According to her records, she is nearly 3 months old but weighs 3.3 kg (7 pounds) and is 21 inches (51 cm.) long. Basically a small newborn size.

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When we were signing the paperwork today for baby Sara, we found out that her maternal great-uncle is the paternal grandfather for another of our children--Moriah.

So that makes Moriah and Sara cousins.

Moriah is cousins with another of our children--Nathan. They share a grandfather on their mother's side. Isn't that interesting?

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Sunday was also my weigh-in day and the scale showed another pound gone! I'm so glad! And I was extra glad because Sunday is my 'free' day so I got to eat candy. Yum Yum!

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Don't forget to vote today. If you are American, you should be at the voting booths but, for all of you, please visit yesterday's page and cast your vote if you haven't already. It is shaping up to be a landslide win for one of the candidates. 

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I'm participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) again this year. This is a challenge where bloggers try to consistently post something everyday. Last year I failed (due to power failures--the electric company--not me) but this year I have a plan. 

You can read more about my start last year if you click on my 'last year' link below.

Exactly One Year Ago: NaBloPoMo